Gone In An Instant
by coffeebreaks
Summary: Bella walks through the forest after hearing an animal cry. From a distance, she spots a group of people who seem to be drinking the blood of fresh animals. She's spotted, so they run. Someone stays behind though, and his instincts get the best of him.


_**I hope you enjoy this one-shot =)**  


* * *

I remember the first and last time I saw him._

The frequent visits from the rainclouds increased and Forks was sadly drenched in downpour. I remember thinking to myself, '_Why today? Why me?_' I shouldn't have been surprised, though. It was exceptionally dark on that morning and I should have expected heavy rain. My head was in the clouds that day; no pun intended.

I was secretly pissed off because I stayed late after school. I had to ask my biology teacher if I could stay back and copy the notes written on the chalkboard. _Should have brought a pen_, I said to myself. I didn't actually know anyone in my Biology class because I recently transferred to Forks High from my old school in Arizona. You see, I wasn't the most outgoing person in class. I inherited my father's socially withdrawn personality which I absolutely hated. Figuring it was too late to change my personality, I remained like that and carried that certain trait with me through my high school years.

I only had two real friends: Angela Weber and her boyfriend Ben. The rest of the students in my classes were simply existing in my perspective. They were literally 'just there'. I had to admit that I rarely talked to anyone, which resulted in them being 'just there'. That was why I didn't even care to ask them for anything— a pen, at the very least.

Oh, and there I was.

I missed the bus after staying after-school, so I decided to walk home. I rolled the ends of my jeans up my knee and walked cautiously on the side of the road. Some of my dad's friends who passed by asked if I wanted a ride. I replied with an 'It's okay, thanks for asking' and a half-smile. What if they didn't bring me home? I shook my head; I was being paranoid.

I speeded my walking and tried to avoid the mud puddles that lay beside my feet. No use. I felt my socks getting wet and I took a look down at my shoes. _Great, _I just bought those sneakers. In no time, I was walking under the wet trees that lined up towards Charlie's house.

No, it wasn't my house. Not yet. I didn't want to accept the fact that I lived in Forks. Ugh.

I got tired of walking, deciding to sit on a root of a tree after I covered the surface with my jacket. I arched my back in exhaustion when, all of a sudden, I heard a sharp noise.

It was the cry of an animal— an animal whose life was being taken away at that very moment— an innocent little animal, being shot or stabbed right in this forest. The sound wasn't so far away. I was such a curious little girl and I decided to check out what was happening.

I walked slowly towards the direction where I assumed the sound came from. I wasn't completely sure I was moving in the right direction because majority of the time my senses let me down.

I heard another animal cry, but this time it was muffled. Footsteps were heard. Or _were_ they footsteps? The sounds were too quick. This fueled my curiosity.

So I walked at a faster pace when out of the blue, I spotted a group of people. They were eating— wait. Why was there so much _blood_ on their clothing? Why were the sounds leading up to the area where they stood? Why were there disembodied animals lying on the ground? What were they doing? Were they—

They were _eating _the animals. With their bare hands. Those people, if they could even be considered 'people', were eating them. No knives, no guns, no spears . . . but with their hands alone.

I covered my mouth in horror, muffling the scream that would escape in any second. I squinted my eyes, not daring to walk forward, and stared closely at the strange group of people. By the color of their skin and the shades of their hair, I assumed they were probably a family. Two different families; the brunettes were one and the blondes were the other. They _could_ be a single family and that stunned me even more.

I watched them silently tear the skins of a deer and a bear and I assumed they were going to be eating it raw. They didn't. Instead, they drank all of the _blood _that poured silently from the insides.

One thought came into mind— one _illogical _thought came to my mind: Vampires. I mentally slapped myself. _Vampires?_ Where did that thought come from? The blood was the only evidence to support my briefly made theory.

They stood calmly for a second and I figured it was safe to move forward. Oh, my curiosity got the best of me.

With one hand over my mouth, I tiptoed forward and made sure I was out of sight. The 'family' looked like they were discussing something. I couldn't hear them though. I walked forward again but at a faster pace this time. I was slick and unnoticed, until my klutziness took action. I fell face forward on the ground, my body making a loud THUD sound along with the noise of crackling leaves and snapping branches in the background.

I got up quickly, hoping to go unnoticed. Fail.

I thought I was hallucinating, because all of them disappeared but I didn't even _see _them run. It was simply a blur. Maybe it was my inaccurate vision.

I walked quickly toward the area where they stood and wondered if they hid somewhere behind the trees. I know it was quite stupid of me. They could _kill_ me. They were strangers who could most definitely kill me.

All of a sudden, I saw a guy slowly walk towards me. I looked closely and realized that he was part of the blood-drinking family that abruptly left.

His hair was of a deep brown shade and was messily made. His skin was awfully pale but he was tall and thin. He was beautiful, but that wasn't why I couldn't stop staring at him.

Those eyes. He looked at me with his deep, red eyes. The color was unordinary, yet the expression they held was even odder.

His eyes held an expression that I couldn't recognize. It was a mixture of hatred, terror, confusion. . . adoration? I couldn't tell.

I didn't move an inch. I just stood there, looking back into his eyes. I just stood there as he moved towards me, carefully placing his palm on my cheek. I cringed at the feel of his hand. It was cold and solid.

"Bella."

I gasped lowly as he said my name, but I was neither scared nor surprised. I was confused. _How did he know my name? And most importantly, why did he know it?_

"Bella," he repeated with a sigh. "Oh how I wish I could taste . . . your blood—"

_Run._

I gasped loudly. "But I must not," he said. He furrowed his eyebrows as if he was deciding whether or not he should put his words in action. "Should I?"

_Run._

I shook my head quickly, my body shaking as well. "No, no, no, no," I repeatedly mumbled this with my eyes half-closed. At that precise moment, he swiftly moved his lips to my neck. My eyes shot open. I tried to calm my breathing as he spoke.

"You smell so pleasant. Delightful. Your scent is so strong, and your neck—your neck is just _so_ close to my venom-coated teeth . . . my venom-coated teeth that could easily fracture the surface of your fragile skin."

_Run._

I breathed in between gasps. "Vampire," I mumbled under my breath in a self-doubting tone. "You're a vampire." This time I said the word with confidence.

"How do you feel? Tell me, Bella." His breath hit me like a wave and I had to calm myself again. I had to stay calm. I couldn't show fear. His mouth was not the only thing that had me frightened, but his voice also had the same effect. His voice was so seductive and alluring. It had me dazed for a moment and that scared me. He could easily get to me.

"C-Calm," I replied. My voice and actions didn't go with my words. I stuttered and shook silently, and I was still being entranced by the feel of his breath of my neck.

_Run._

I knew he was dangerous. I knew he was. And before he could taunt me anymore, I screamed.

That was the moment I had to run.

Out of the forest . . . out of sight . . . away from _him_. . .

So I ran without looking back— without even taking a _glance _behind me, and before I knew it, the house was right in front of my eyes.

I turned around to take a last look and see if he was anywhere near me.

But he was gone. He was gone just like the wind.

It was as if he was never even there in the first place.

The days, the weeks, and the months pass as I kept that secret to myself. What happened was a dream and truth is, I wasn't so sure it happened. I wished it did.

So here I stand in the exact same spot where I saw him— where I felt him— where my life was at sudden risk. I stood exactly where I did a year ago and I hoped with all my heart that I would see him again.


End file.
